The Unprotected
by Zarak342
Summary: G1, oneshot. We sought the Decepticons, certain that our enemy was the source of it, demanding a cure. It was not the Decepticons. They were just as surprised to watch this world demish around them as we were.


**The Unprotected**

The planet that we currently occupy is called Earth, named after the soil that covers it. Round as Cybertron but without the starhigh buildings, without the orange glowing power core and without the multi-millennia war damage.

We cherish Earth.

We lay in the mountain, resting and waiting, for four million years and when we finally awoke; the sun greeted us, warm and beautiful like anything most of us had ever seen. Cybertron is without a sun and our home planet warms itself with the central power core which gives us energy and light. The planet Earth has day and night, winter and summer unlike Cybertron, and the green and brown surface was a welcomed change from the cold metal surface.

And the life of this planet was… astonishing.

We protected the earthlings from the day we awoke and they accepted us into their cultures, teaching us new ways of life.

We protected them.

And even though we were from outer space and even though we had responsibility back on Cybertron; we came to name this strange new place something personal.

Home.

We protected home.

We were not alone, however. The Decepticons had followed us to Earth and they could not see or feel the beauty of this world. They could only see it for the rich and powerful energy. We protected Mother Nature from the Decepticons. The war had moved, but for us it was still a very peaceful time.

The peace, however, was short-lived.

The ones closets to Earth's nature noticed first, how the animal life around us had quieted down. It was like all the animals, birds and insects had gone into hibernation.

That was impossible, the humans told us.

Then the first of them died and chaos broke free. An unimaginable and gruesome chaos. Though we were more advanced in war, technology and science there was nothing we could do. Some of our medics and scientist began blaming themselves for the lack of an answer.

A cure.

It was a virus – no, a disease – that had gone undetected for weeks, waterborne, airborne and without clear symptoms; it was deadly. It could be anywhere and everywhere by the time they started to close all entries and exits of their respective countries. It would not help closing airports and harbors, Spike told us that.

Spike.

He had cried when they had buried Sparkplug's body beneath the green life-giving soil. After that he never cried again and we became impressed by the bravery of the young ones from the human species.

The Autobot soldiers had split into two groups. The ones angry and without the will to accept the losses sought the Decepticons, certain that our enemy was the source of it, demanding a cure.

It was not the Decepticons.

They were just as surprised to watch this world demise around them as we were.

The other group, lead by sorrow itself, began gathering the dead and burying them properly, desperately trying to contaminate the plague.

They were without success. And they could no longer dig enough graves. Too many dead. Spike suggested cremating the corpses. So we did.

Earth died around us.

And the earthlings called it by many names; The Black Death, Doom's Day, Reaper, Ragnarok…

Unofficially we also came to name the disease.

We called it the end.

We could not protect them from the end.

We were blamed too. We are machines from outer space so we could not see them at fault for the sudden mistrust and suspicion. They also blamed the ones next to them. They blamed their gods.

But we had no one to blame for there was no one responsible. No one at all.

The ones closest to the humans could only mourn the losses, regretting the helplessness and the unrequited.

It hit the youngest of us – all of us – the hardest when Spike and Carly followed the rest of this planet's life.

After that we no longer had to protect them.

We no longer had to protect home because there was no home to protect. Only the cold and lifeless earth.

We did not lose Earth to the Decepticons – they had left this world long ago – but to a being we were unable to see. A bacteria.

Now, Earth is deserted. We are unsure whether there is any life left, but so far we know; all cities are dead, no birds sing and we are alone.

One disease became the death of Earth.

It is truly the end.

I am Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots in the former existing Autobot-human alliance. I will leave this message in our Earth headquarters, on Teletraan-1 inside the Ark, in hope that one day humans and animals will once again inhabitant Earth. For now, we will search for any survivors amongst the many small islands of this world, but if we find none we will travel back to Cybertron through the spacebridge.

To you, who find this message, we hope your world is once again inhabitable and if you wish, you will be able to contact us using Teletraan-1. We understand if you do not.

We count year 2012.

Farewell for now.

_Log conclusion, 08:24 2012, __compiler: Optimus Prime._


End file.
